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ADDIS ABABA, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Kenyan telecoms operator Safaricom's SCOM.NR M-Pesa mobile money service went live in Ethiopia on Wednesday, the company said in a statement.
Safaricom, which is part owned by South Africa’s Vodacom VODJ.J and Britain’s Vodafone VOD.L, launched its mobile network in the Horn of Africa country last year.
It became the first private telecoms provider after the government in 2019 liberalised a sector that had long been dominated by the state-controlled Ethio Telecom.
Mobile money services are common in east Africa, allowing customers to send and receive money and pay for goods and services.
(Reporting by Dawit Endeshaw; editing by Elias Biryabarema)
((Email:elias.biryabarema@thomsonreuters.com; Tel. +254 20 499 1232; Reuters Messaging: elias.biryabarema.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
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